Winter Fuel Payment 2025: Nine million eligible to receive £100-£300

The Department for Work and Pensions will start sending letters this month to pensioners about this winter's Winter Fuel Payment, with cash due to be paid into most eligible accounts in November and December 2025. Around nine million people in England and Wales who were born before September 22, 1959 are expected to receive a oneoff payment designed to help with heating costs, with amounts varying between £100 and £300 depending on age and household circumstances.

Most eligible households will be paid automatically. The standard arrangements provide higher payments where someone in the household is older, and the precise amount also depends on whether the claimant lives alone, with an eligible partner, or receives particular disability or income replacement benefits. DWP guidance says some people living in care homes may qualify but that specific rules apply and claimants should check the government website if unsure.

Eligibility this year is subject to an income cap. Pensioners with individual incomes above £35,000 will still receive the Winter Fuel Payment initially but will generally be required to repay it through the tax system. HM Revenue and Customs said, "The vast...